Nevada County picayune., 1887-04-06
THE SUEZ SHIP CANAL.
How the Traffic Along the Water.
 way is Managed.

A writer in the Saturday Review describes how the traffic along tie Suez Canal IS directed and con trolled from the office of Terre- pleiD. near Snez. The number of ships in the canal at the same time is something very great Dee. $ last, for example. fifteen steamers cleared the canal, of which sever were outward bound. The previ- Ous day nine ships cleared. and the day before seven. so that dur ing the Sth some thirty ships were probably at one time in the canal. Sometimes there are as many as forty, and all are completely under the control nf the French gentle. man sitting at his desk in an upper chambers at Terreplein. The method of working is exceedingly simple. Against the wall at one side of the room is narrow shelfor platform, along which runs n groove. At in tervals this trough or groove has deep recesses. and at two place < these recesses are of larger size This trough or grooye represents the canal. The recesses are the sidings. The larger intervals are the Great Bitter Lake and Lake Timsoh. When vessel has beer signaled and is ahOut to enter lhc canal at, say, the Suez end. sn,all toy boat ar model three or furr il,- ches long is chosen to represe nt her. X group of these model ships stands ready beside the model canal, each furnished with Il flag About forty have the English flag, ten or a dozen the French flag. and so on with other nationalities. As the steamer comes up and her name is known it is written on pa
 per and placed on the toy boat. The whole number of ships thus actually in the canal at any mo- ment can be seen at glance: and. as the telegraphic signals give no- tice, the toy boats are moved along. or placed iii the siding, or shown traversing one Ot the lakes al fnll speed. Signals are sent from the office to the various "garrsr pre- scribing the siding at which raci, ship must stop 10 let another meet and pass it. The official who IS on duty keeps the models moving as he receives notice, taking ,Mrc when perhaps two ships going in opposite directions are both near ing the same siding to give timely warning to the pilots in charge by means of the signal balls and flags at each station under his control from the office, and to direct whicl, of the two is to lie up and which is to proceed. Barrng accidents. the whole arrangement goes like clock the clerk can read off in q moment the name. tOnna ge. nationality. draught. and actual sit nation of every steamer; he can tell what pilot she has on board, what is her breadth of beam, what rate she is moving at and every. thing else which has to be known about her; and he is able without an effort tO govern all her move. ments, to prescribe } tn place where she is to pass the night, and the hour at which she is to get under way in the morning, although he does not see her, and probably never saw her in his life. The fees for which vessels pay for passing through the canal are often eDor
 nous. Some of the large liners oi the Pencnsula and Oriental, or the Orient, service pay as much as flSOO in making single transit
 For every passenger half Il napole- on, or s shillings I pence is charg. ed. Three fo urths of the ships that go through the canal are Em. ollsh